School is officially back in session bookmarking to another sweet summer in California. The end of summer used to mean the end of fresh summer stone fruit like peaches, plums and nectarines, but that’s changed over the past few seasons. California growers are constantly testing and naturally breeding new flavorful varieties of peaches. If you recall our Aug. 15 post on Variety Tastings & Rootstock Tours you can see a taste testing session amongst California growers. They are not only breeding for flavor but they are also looking for varieties that harvest later and later into the year.
This means we can still get American grown peaches in October! The most important thing to remember when buying fall stone fruit is to look at the PLUsticker for Country of Origin (COO). Southern Hemisphere fruit will just begin their production and sometimes the seasons overlap each other. So, to make sure you are buying produce that was grown and cared for by Americans make sure you check your labels before enjoying!
Friday started out as a typical day. But little did I know it was about to get exciting as I headed out to was another interesting day in the world of California tree fruit! Variety tasting and a rootstock tour were my next adventures as I continue learning about California tree fruit. I had never heard of either variety tasting or rootstock tours, so this was completely new to me.
As I approached the tasting, I noticed my soon-to-be father in law gather in a group. That was the second time I had ran into him in the past two days! I must say, it’s pretty cool that we work in the same industry. As I walked around the tables, plates of fresh peaches, plums and nectarines were displayed on the tables. They were for eating, and I brought an appetite!
Variety tastings are an opportunity for peach, plum and nectarine ‘breeders’ to showcase their new varieties of stone fruit, giving the growers and other industry members the opportunity to savor the latest developments in stone fruit. Breeders grow and analyze sample trees to develop the best quality peach, plum and nectarine varieties that they know will cater to peoples’ taste buds. That’s what it’s all about right- biting into the best stone fruit they’ve ever had? Variety tastings gives the growers knowledge and expands their opportunity to grow new varieties that they know shoppers will enjoy.
Rootstock tours are a different breed, don’t mind the pun. Rootstock tours allow growers to see tree root bases that can accommodate varieties and help the grower to grow the new varieties they would like to plant.
They accompany a variety tasting because they allow industry members to observe the tree’s growth and study their development for growth of new varieties. This rootstock tour was at UC Davis Kearney Agricultural Center. As we hopped on the back of a trailer, we made our way out into the orchards.
So now that you have a brief summary of what variety tastings and rootstock tours are and why they’re important to growing tree fruit, check out the video. And, don’t forget to leave us your thoughts in a comment. We love hearing from our readers.
Did you know California produces over 95% of the nations nectarines and plums? And about two-thirds of all the fresh market peaches? California is the fruit basket of the world and continues to lead the nation in best on the farm practices. An ideal growing environment along with progressive research and development make California peaches the best! California growers are continually looking for new ways to grow a better, tastier peach. I just saw an article this morning talking about a Fresno based company specializing in breeding new stone fruit varieties. Even though there are currently over 250 peach varieties (talk about biodiversity) in the state, growers are always looking for new ways to grow a tastier peach.
Peach orchards in June are full of activity. Irrigating, managing pests and pruning to make sure each piece of fruit is getting as much nutrients as it can before harvest. All California peaches are still hand picked, carefully inspected and packed by hand. Keep an eye out for these varieties that are just beginning to come off the trees at your local market.
You have probably started noticing much better quality peaches at the market as the domestic crop is now being harvested.All of the winter peaches you saw were from the Southern Hemisphere as their season is exactly the opposite of ours.
If you have ever had an undesirable peach eating experience don’t give up yet. Learn how to pick the perfect peach by knowing what kind of peach you are looking at. There are hundreds of different varieties that each have their own color, shape and taste. Look at the PLU sticker or the in store point-of-sale to see what variety is available. Then buy ‘em try ‘em and repeat until you find the variety that’s right for you.
Here are some varieties to look out for during the rest of May.
The Summer’s first peaches are ready for harvest! The last week in April and the first week of May provide the first glimpse at a long sweet summer. The first few varieties of California peaches are just beginning to harvest and ship to market. When you are at the market take a closer look at what particular variety peach you are looking at. Each variety has its own unique color, shape and most importantly taste!
Here are some varieties to look out for through the beginning of May.
Yellow Flesh Peaches:
Super Rich*
Queencrest
Spring Flame®*
May Sweet
White Flesh Peaches:
Snow Angel*
May Snow
Spring Snow*
May Saturn
